Phoenix Suns Would Be Crazy To Keep P.J. Tucker Over 2016 Offseason

By Dave Daniels

P.J. Tucker is an inspiring basketball player. He trudged through years of playing basketball internationally, and then he eventually found a home with the Phoenix Suns.

Tucker doesn’t help on a rebuilding project, though, and he should probably be on a different team next season. He’d be a great complementary player on a squad like the Oklahoma City Thunder or Dallas Mavericks, but he isn’t the right small forward for the Suns. This is mainly due to timing.

Tucker has already peaked as a player. At the age of 31, his skills will only deteriorate after this point. He played in 82 games last season and started 80 of them, but he isn’t a good enough shooter to merit that many starts. If the Suns want to be a contender in the long run, then they need to look at other options.

T.J. Warren will be Tucker’s replacement at the small forward spot, because he is a far more efficient scorer. Warren shot 50.1 percent from the field last season, and Tucker only managed to make 41.1 percent of his field goal attempts. The Suns have a lot of work to do. They won’t be a playoff team next season, but they can at least start adding pieces that will aid them in their future. They could get some value out of trading Tucker, and he would be a better fit on a franchise closer to the title.

He is a player with so much hustle. He would function fantastically on a squad where his efforts aren’t wasted on a lottery team. Here’s hoping the Suns realize how they are squandering the prime of his career, and that they should cash in on his talents while his stock is still high. They’d be crazy to keep him around and hold back their younger players from developing. Tucker will land on his feet no matter what happens, but he deserves the chance to be on a winning team for once in his life.

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